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HP mt21 (Celeron 3865U, SSD, HD) Mobile Thin Client Review

Consistent: The HP mt21 scores well for its little fan noise, efficient heat management and good battery life. Its 14-inch display will win no prizes though.

HP has released the mt21, a 14-inch Mobile Thin Client that is based on the HP ProBook 440 G5. The mt21 is powered by an Intel Celeron Kaby Lake generation processor and Intel HD Graphics 610. We will be using the Lenovo ThinkPad L480Dell Latitude 5490, and the Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M as devices against which we compare the HP mt21. We will not be taking a close look at the mt21’s case, connectivity, input devices, and speakers, as they are identical to those that we have already examined in our HP ProBook 440 G5 review.

We should point out that HP ships the mt21 with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise for Thin Clients 64. We installed Windows 10 Pro (64-bit) to perform our tests to eliminate performance differences between the two versions of Windows 10 when comparing the mt21 with our comparison devices.

HP mt21
Processor
Intel Celeron 3865U 2 x 1.8 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics 610, Core: 900 MHz, Single-Channel, 23.20.16.4973
Memory
4 GB 
, DDR3L
Display
14.00 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel 112 PPI, Chi Mei CMN143C3, TN LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Kaby Lake-U + iHDCP 2.2 Base PCH
Storage
Liteonit CV3-8D128, 128 GB 
, 102 GB free
Soundcard
Conexant CX8200 @ Intel Sunrise Point-LP PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Audio comobo port, Card Reader: SD, TPM 2.0
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 19.9 x 336 x 238 ( = 0.78 x 13.23 x 9.37 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Enterprise for Thin-Clients
Camera
Webcam: No webcam
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
1.63 kg ( = 57.5 oz / 3.59 pounds), Power Supply: 283 g ( = 9.98 oz / 0.62 pounds)
Price
1299 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Size Comparison

338 mm / 13.3 inch 230 mm / 9.06 inch 27 mm / 1.063 inch 1.8 kg3.95 lbs342 mm / 13.5 inch 236 mm / 9.29 inch 22.3 mm / 0.878 inch 1.8 kg3.97 lbs335 mm / 13.2 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 22.5 mm / 0.886 inch 1.7 kg3.68 lbs336 mm / 13.2 inch 238 mm / 9.37 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 1.6 kg3.59 lbs333 mm / 13.1 inch 229 mm / 9.02 inch 21 mm / 0.827 inch 1.7 kg3.73 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
166.4 MB/s +148%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
79.5 MB/s +19%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
71 MB/s +6%
HP mt21
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
67 MB/s
Average of class Office
  (8 - 196.8, n=50, last 2 years)
55.6 MB/s -17%
HP mt43
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
55 MB/s -18%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
37.7 MB/s -44%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
24.6 MB/s -63%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
208.2 MB/s +143%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
87.9 (79.5min) MB/s +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
85.9 MB/s 0%
HP mt21
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
85.8 MB/s
HP mt43
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
82 MB/s -4%
Average of class Office
  (26.4 - 173.2, n=44, last 2 years)
65.2 MB/s -24%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
27.6 MB/s -68%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
667 MBit/s +2%
HP mt21
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
655 MBit/s
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
648 MBit/s -1%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Realtek 8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
629 MBit/s -4%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
624 MBit/s -5%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
511 MBit/s -22%
HP mt43
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
408 MBit/s -38%
iperf3 receive AX12
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Realtek 8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
649 MBit/s +31%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
607 MBit/s +22%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
562 MBit/s +13%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
533 MBit/s +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
529 MBit/s +6%
HP mt21
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
497 MBit/s
HP mt43
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
441 MBit/s -11%

Display

Sub-pixel array
Sub-pixel array

The matte 14-inch display has a 1366x768 native resolution. We measured brightness and contrast levels at 228.2 cd/m² and 564:1 respectively. These are unimpressive values, especially as we would expect values beyond 300 cd/m² and 1000:1.

The display has PWM flicker at 1,000 Hz for brightness levels of 90% and below. Fortunately, this frequency is high enough that even those sensitive to PWM related headaches or eye strain should be able to use the mt21 without issue.

236
cd/m²
231
cd/m²
234
cd/m²
223
cd/m²
254
cd/m²
238
cd/m²
211
cd/m²
221
cd/m²
206
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Chi Mei CMN143C3 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 254 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 228.2 cd/m² Minimum: 12.1 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 254 cd/m²
Contrast: 564:1 (Black: 0.45 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.77 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 11.82 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
63% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
40% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
43.48% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
42.06% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.39
HP mt21
TN LED, 1366x768, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14.00
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Display
-14%
42%
-14%
-6%
-2%
Display P3 Coverage
42.06
36.37
-14%
64.1
52%
36.28
-14%
39.56
-6%
41.04
-2%
sRGB Coverage
62.8
54.7
-13%
83.9
34%
54.6
-13%
59.3
-6%
61.2
-3%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
43.48
37.57
-14%
61.3
41%
37.48
-14%
40.88
-6%
42.47
-2%
Response Times
-95%
654%
-59%
-43%
774%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
43 ?(24, 19)
73 ?(36, 37)
-70%
34 ?(16, 18)
21%
46.9 ?(23.6, 23.3)
-9%
40 ?(21.2, 18.8)
7%
39 ?(22, 17)
9%
Response Time Black / White *
15 ?(10, 5)
33 ?(19, 14)
-120%
24 ?(14, 10)
-60%
31.2 ?(18, 13.2)
-108%
28.8 ?(17.2, 11.6)
-92%
28 ?(16, 12)
-87%
PWM Frequency
1000 ?(90)
21000 ?(90)
2000%
25000 ?(70)
2400%
Screen
35%
45%
24%
18%
19%
Brightness middle
254
222
-13%
320
26%
227
-11%
236
-7%
271
7%
Brightness
228
209
-8%
315
38%
211
-7%
221
-3%
256
12%
Brightness Distribution
81
73
-10%
86
6%
88
9%
88
9%
85
5%
Black Level *
0.45
0.17
62%
0.31
31%
0.19
58%
0.26
42%
0.43
4%
Contrast
564
1306
132%
1032
83%
1195
112%
908
61%
630
12%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
10.77
3.91
64%
3.44
68%
5.6
48%
5.7
47%
5.03
53%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
18.02
7.74
57%
9.39
48%
22.4
-24%
22
-22%
11.9
34%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
11.82
1.56
87%
2.31
80%
2.4
80%
3.8
68%
4.02
66%
Gamma
2.39 92%
2.53 87%
2.38 92%
2.44 90%
2.1 105%
2.31 95%
CCT
13633 48%
6701 97%
6496 100%
6506 100%
7318 89%
6659 98%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
40
35
-12%
55
38%
34.5
-14%
37.7
-6%
39
-2%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
63
55
-13%
84
33%
54.4
-14%
59.2
-6%
61
-3%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-25% / 8%
247% / 159%
-16% / 5%
-10% / 5%
264% / 156%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 1000 Hz ≤ 90 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 1000 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 1000 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The mt21 has Delta E 2000 color deviations of 10.77. This is far higher than ideal values of less than 3. Additionally, we noticed a clear blue tint to the display during testing.

CalMAN – Colour Checker
CalMAN – Colour Checker
CalMAN – Grayscale
CalMAN – Grayscale
CalMAN – Saturation
CalMAN – Saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
15 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 10 ms rise
↘ 5 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 30 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
43 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 24 ms rise
↘ 19 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 67 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

The mt21 has a TN panel with poor viewing angles. Content is unreadable from any angle other than when you are straight in front of the display. The mt21 can be used outdoors, but only when the sun is not too bright.

Using the mt21 outdoors
Using the mt21 outdoors

Performance

The mt21 is a 14-inch device that sits within the HP Thin Client range. The mt21 is based on the ProBook 400 G5 and has enough power for its intended use case. The mt21 is available for between €1,200 to €1,300 (~$1485 to $1609).

Processor

The mt21 is powered by an Intel Celeron 3865U Kaby Lake dual-core processor. This CPU works at a maximum speed of 1.8 GHz and supports neither Intel Turbo Boost nor Intel Hyper-Threading. During our tests, the CPU performed equally fast on battery power as it did on mains power.

We tested the performance of the Celeron 3865U using the Cinebench R15 multi-thread benchmark on a thirty-minute loop. The mt21 performed at the same level consistently with no performance drop even towards the end of the benchmark.

0102030405060708090100110120130140150Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
5084
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
5425
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
2853
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
16.04 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
1.66 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
0.86 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.8 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
25.71 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
142 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
72 Points
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years)
215 Points +199%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Intel Core i5-8250U
146 Points +103%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel Core i5-8350U
142 Points +97%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
142 Points +97%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel Core i5-7200U
128 Points +78%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
Intel Core i5-6200U
112 Points +56%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
100 Points +39%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
95 Points +32%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
83 Points +15%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
72 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
72 Points 0%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
71 Points -1%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years)
1380 Points +872%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel Core i5-8350U
627 Points +342%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
625 Points +340%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Intel Core i5-8250U
620 Points +337%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel Core i5-7200U
325 Points +129%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
Intel Core i5-6200U
278 Points +96%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
260 Points +83%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
241 Points +70%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
213 Points +50%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
203 Points +43%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
142 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
142 Points 0%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (0.99 - 2.97, n=12, last 2 years)
2.31 Points +169%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel Core i5-8350U
1.62 Points +88%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
1.62 Points +88%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
1.01 Points +17%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
0.86 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
0.86 Points 0%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
0.84 Points -2%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (1.93 - 20.3, n=12, last 2 years)
12.5 Points +653%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel Core i5-8350U
7.33 Points +342%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
7.01 Points +322%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
2.71 Points +63%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
2.4 Points +45%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
1.66 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
1.66 Points 0%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Average of class Office
  (6611 - 40266, n=12, last 2 years)
27456 Points +406%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
19840 Points +266%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel Core i5-8350U
19640 Points +262%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
8797 Points +62%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
8169 Points +51%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
7293 Points +34%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
5703 Points +5%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
5425 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
5425 Points 0%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Average of class Office
  (3465 - 9351, n=12, last 2 years)
6404 Points +124%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
5476 Points +92%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel Core i5-8350U
5152 Points +81%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
3877 Points +36%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
3587 Points +26%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
3203 Points +12%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
2853 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
2853 Points 0%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
2336 Points -18%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
16771 Points +420%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
5270 Points +63%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
5136 Points +59%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
4764 Points +48%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
4384 Points +36%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
3224 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
3224 Points 0%
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (last 2 years)
4096 Points +122%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
2510 Points +36%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
2340 Points +27%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
2018 Points +9%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
1965 Points +7%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
1843 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
1843 Points 0%
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
5636 Points +58%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
5455 Points +53%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
4805 Points +35%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
4389 Points +23%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
3564 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
3564 Points 0%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
2947 Points +35%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
2816 Points +29%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
2516 Points +15%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
2182 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
2182 Points 0%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
1991 Points -9%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (4762 - 35532, n=19, last 2 years)
18933 Points +409%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel Core i5-8350U
11004 Points +196%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
5895 Points +59%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
5630 Points +51%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
4975 Points +34%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
4506 Points +21%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
3719 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
3719 Points 0%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Office
  (2776 - 7072, n=19, last 2 years)
5099 Points +128%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel Core i5-8350U
3646 Points +63%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U
3016 Points +35%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
2943 Points +31%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U
2575 Points +15%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U
2240 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
2240 Points 0%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B
2139 Points -5%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (21416 - 93596, n=52, last 2 years)
69674 Points +399%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Intel Core i5-8250U (Edge)
32530 Points +133%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel Core i5-7200U (Edge)
30834 Points +121%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U (Edge 41.16299.248.0)
29269 Points +110%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U (Edge 40)
21322 Points +53%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B (Edge 41)
15170 Points +9%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U (Edge 41)
13961 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
13961 Points 0%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B (Edge 41)
2552 ms * -4%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U (Edge 41)
2443 ms *
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
2443 ms * -0%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U (Edge 40)
1652 ms * +32%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U (Edge 41.16299.248.0)
1276 ms * +48%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel Core i5-7200U (Edge)
1212 ms * +50%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Intel Core i5-8250U (Edge)
1079 ms * +56%
Average of class Office
  (479 - 1966, n=111, last 2 years)
742 ms * +70%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (117.1 - 544, n=19, last 2 years)
369 Points +229%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Intel Core i5-8250U (Edge)
231.6 Points +106%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel Core i5-8250U (Edge 41.16299.248.0)
216.9 Points +93%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel Core i5-7200U (Edge)
206.9 Points +84%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel Core i3-7100U (Edge 40)
164.2 Points +46%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel Pentium Gold 4415U (Edge 40)
157.1 Points +40%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
Intel Core i5-6200U
137.2 Points +22%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel Core i3-6006U (Edge 41)
120.5 Points +7%
HP mt21
Intel Celeron 3865U (Edge 41)
112.2 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U
 
112.2 Points 0%
HP mt43
AMD PRO A8-9600B (Edge 41)
109.9 Points -2%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

System performance is smooth and responsive. We encountered no problems during our tests. The mt21 is powerful enough for office and Internet applications, which the results from PCMark benchmarks confirm. The mt21 has two RAM slots, of which only one is occupied in our test device. The system runs in single-channel mode, meaning that there is still headroom for a slight boost in performance. Adding a second RAM module would give the mt21 that performance boost by activating dual-channel mode.

PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 7 Score
3910 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
2629 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
2775 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
3714 points
PCMark 10 Score
1970 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Office
  (2304 - 4830, n=12, last 2 years)
4261 Points +62%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
3774 Points +44%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Toshiba KXG5AZNV256G
3757 Points +43%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8350U, Toshiba KSG60ZMV512G
3695 Points +41%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
3519 Points +34%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
HD Graphics 620, i3-7100U, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
3313 Points +26%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
HD Graphics 610, Pentium 4415U, Ramxel S121 RTNRB256RFM4KWDL
3230 Points +23%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
HD Graphics 520, 6200U, Toshiba THNSNK256GCS8
3133 Points +19%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
HD Graphics 520, 6006U, Samsung SSD PM871a MZNLN256HMHQ
2845 Points +8%
HP mt21
HD Graphics 610, Celeron 3865U, Liteonit CV3-8D128
2629 Points
Average Intel Celeron 3865U, Intel HD Graphics 610
 
2629 Points 0%
HP mt43
Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge), A8-9600B, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
2579 Points -2%

Storage Devices

The mt21 has an M.2-2280 SATA III 128 GB by LiteOn. We measured decent transfer speeds. It would also be possible to equip the mt21 with a 2.5-inch secondary hard drive, as there is a SATA III slot available. The mounting frame would need to be bought separately though as HP did not include it with our test device.

Liteonit CV3-8D128
Sequential Read: 488.1 MB/s
Sequential Write: 277.4 MB/s
512K Read: 252.9 MB/s
512K Write: 154.2 MB/s
4K Read: 26.35 MB/s
4K Write: 57.5 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 213.8 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 150 MB/s
HP mt21
Liteonit CV3-8D128
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Toshiba KXG5AZNV256G
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
Toshiba THNSNK256GCS8
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Toshiba KSG60ZMV512G
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
HP mt43
SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
Average Liteonit CV3-8D128
 
Average of class Office
 
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
121%
41%
55%
151%
-1%
146%
-3%
295%
Read Seq
488.1
1463
200%
490.6
1%
465.1
-5%
1181
142%
464.3
-5%
1086
122%
450 ?(349 - 488, n=8)
-8%
1895 ?(508 - 3536, n=3, last 2 years)
288%
Write Seq
277.4
556
100%
264.8
-5%
425
53%
602
117%
309.3
11%
581
109%
238 ?(167.7 - 317, n=8)
-14%
2113 ?(459 - 3702, n=3, last 2 years)
662%
Read 512
252.9
765
202%
411.6
63%
410.1
62%
923
265%
370.9
47%
869
244%
267 ?(222 - 351, n=8)
6%
878 ?(392 - 1221, n=3, last 2 years)
247%
Write 512
154.2
351.9
128%
262.3
70%
360.7
134%
600
289%
181.9
18%
584
279%
167 ?(153 - 185.8, n=8)
8%
1297 ?(389 - 2096, n=3, last 2 years)
741%
Read 4k
26.35
33.56
27%
24.86
-6%
27.34
4%
35.48
35%
28.79
9%
35.89
36%
23.3 ?(8.86 - 28, n=8)
-12%
43.3 ?(19.7 - 68.2, n=3, last 2 years)
64%
Write 4k
57.5
111.7
94%
110.1
91%
89
55%
139.8
143%
49.6
-14%
122.4
113%
55.9 ?(44.8 - 68.1, n=8)
-3%
132.5 ?(45.9 - 214, n=3, last 2 years)
130%
Read 4k QD32
213.8
384.6
80%
383.4
79%
295.6
38%
287.8
35%
115.4
-46%
462.9
117%
227 ?(132.2 - 305, n=8)
6%
433 ?(186.4 - 761, n=3, last 2 years)
103%
Write 4k QD32
150
351.3
134%
198.7
32%
300.2
100%
417.1
178%
106.6
-29%
370.9
147%
145.9 ?(111.7 - 176.1, n=8)
-3%
341 ?(222 - 526, n=3, last 2 years)
127%

Graphics Card

DXVAChecker
DXVAChecker

Graphics are handled by the Intel HD Graphics 610 integrated graphics core, which supports DirectX12 and can clock up to 900 MHz. 3DMark benchmark results are typical for an Intel HD Graphics 610 powered device. Dual-channel memory mode would make better use of the GPU and boost graphics performance. 

3DMark 11 Performance
885 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
31465 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
3061 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
496 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 12230, n=115, last 2 years)
5878 Points +627%
HP mt43
AMD Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge), AMD PRO A8-9600B
1720 Points +113%
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
1678 Points +108%
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8350U
1617 Points +100%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8250U
1595 Points +97%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
1380 Points +71%
Asus X510UA-BR305T
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i3-7100U
1363 Points +69%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
Intel HD Graphics 520, Intel Core i5-6200U
1222 Points +51%
HP 250 G6 2UB93ES
Intel HD Graphics 520, Intel Core i3-6006U
1220 Points +51%
Lenovo IdeaPad V110-15IKB 80TH001SGE
Intel HD Graphics 610, Intel Pentium Gold 4415U
880 Points +9%
Average Intel HD Graphics 610
  (804 - 949, n=5)
868 Points +7%
HP mt21
Intel HD Graphics 610, Intel Celeron 3865U
808 Points

Gaming Performance

The mt21 can play some games, but this is limited to those with moderate hardware requirements. Even then, these can only really be played at low resolutions and low-quality settings. While activating dual-channel mode would increase frame rates, it would not make performance hungry games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance playable.

low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 30.6 16.9 14.5

Emissions and Energy

Fan Noise

The mt21 remains quiet even under full load. During our stress tests, we measured fan noise at just 31 dB(A). Correspondingly, the fan is either very quiet or off when the mt21 is idling.

Noise Level

Idle
30.4 / 30.4 / 30.4 dB(A)
Load
31.4 / 31.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30.4 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2034.132.330.934.12532.43232.132.43132.429.533.732.44030.730.129.330.75028.929.730.628.96328.329.427.228.38027.226.327.227.210026.326.725.126.312525.425.324.625.416024.424.62324.420022.823.722.722.825021.922.422.421.931521.122.221.621.140020.22120.320.250019.92018.819.963018.819.618.518.880018.519.617.818.510001820.517.718125017.619.917.717.6160017.819.617.717.8200017.719.317.317.7250017.718.417.717.73150181817.818400018.218.118.118.2500018.418.218.218.4630018.418.418.518.4800018.518.518.518.51000018.718.618.618.71250018.619.118.518.6160001918.818.719SPL30.631.430.430.6N1.41.61.41.4median 18.6median 19.6median 18.5median 18.6Delta1.91.61.31.9hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseHP mt21

Temperature

The mt21 during a stress test
The mt21 during a stress test

The mt21 performed equally well on battery power as it did on mains power during our one-hour Prime95 and FurMark stress tests. The CPU and GPU ran consistently at their maximum respective speeds of 1.8 GHz and 900 MHz.

Our test device did not get too hot either. During the stress tests, we measured surface temperatures at well below 40 °C (104 °F) across all points of the device.

Max. Load
 31 °C
88 F
33.9 °C
93 F
33.9 °C
93 F
 
 28.5 °C
83 F
34 °C
93 F
33.2 °C
92 F
 
 24.5 °C
76 F
23.9 °C
75 F
24.7 °C
76 F
 
Maximum: 34 °C = 93 F
Average: 29.7 °C = 85 F
34.6 °C
94 F
33.7 °C
93 F
29.2 °C
85 F
33.1 °C
92 F
34.6 °C
94 F
31 °C
88 F
24.8 °C
77 F
25.3 °C
78 F
25.1 °C
77 F
Maximum: 34.6 °C = 94 F
Average: 30.2 °C = 86 F
Power Supply (max.)  36.3 °C = 97 F | Room Temperature 21.7 °C = 71 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.7 °C / 85 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.6 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.5 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 25.2 °C / 77.4 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (+2.5 °C / 4.5 F).
Thermal imaging of the top of the device under load
Thermal imaging of the top of the device under load
Thermal imaging of the bottom of the device under load
Thermal imaging of the bottom of the device under load
Thermal imaging of the top of the device at idle
Thermal imaging of the top of the device at idle
Thermal imaging of the bottom of the device at idle
Thermal imaging of the bottom of the device at idle

Speakers

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2030.932.92532.132.93133.730.64029.3305030.630.56327.228.18027.227.210025.126.512524.630.31602336.620022.737.625022.434.131521.643.740020.35850018.86163018.567.480017.873100017.771.7125017.768.2160017.764.6200017.365.7250017.766.1315017.860.1400018.157.2500018.258.3630018.561.3800018.563.71000018.660.41250018.555.21600018.749.2SPL30.478N1.439.3median 18.5median 60.1Delta1.311.135.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHP mt21Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
HP mt21 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (72.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (11.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 79% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 14% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 78% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 18% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram in comparison (checkboxes are de/selectable)

Power Consumption

The mt21 has good power consumption irrespective of load. We measured a maximum draw of 7 W at idle, which increased to 19.2 W at maximum load. The power supply has a 45 W power rating, which will be more than enough to charge the device even when it is operating under maximum load.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.52 / 0.6 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.2 / 6.7 / 7 Watt
Load midlight 18.5 / 19.2 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

We tested the mt21 against our practical Wi-Fi test, which uses a script to simulate the load required to load and render websites. During this test, we set the Windows 10 power mode to Balanced, the display brightness to 150 cd/m², and turned off energy-saving features. The mt21 lasted for 8:45 hours under these conditions.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 41)
8h 45min
Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing
Dell Latitude 5490-TD70X
i5-8350U, UHD Graphics 620, 68 Wh
897 min +71%
Average of class Office
  (272 - 1137, n=107, last 2 years)
589 min +12%
HP mt21
Celeron 3865U, HD Graphics 610, 48 Wh
525 min
Lenovo ThinkPad L480-20LS001AGE
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 45 Wh
460 min -12%
HP ProBook 440 G5-3KX87ES
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 48 Wh
416 min -21%
Acer TravelMate P449-G2-M-56CD
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, 48 Wh
341 min -35%
HP mt43
A8-9600B, Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge), 51 Wh
299 min -43%
Fujitsu Lifebook E746
6200U, HD Graphics 520, 63 Wh
283 min -46%

Pros

+ matte display
+ silent operation
+ rarely gets warm
+ SSD
+ free SATA III slot
+ maintenance cover
+ good battery life

Cons

- dark and low-contrast display
- unstable viewing angles
- no backlit keyboard

Verdict

The HP mt21 2NC62AA, provided by HP Germany.
The HP mt21 2NC62AA, provided by HP Germany.

A Mobile Thin Client does not need maximum performance, so it does not matter that the processor powering the HP mt21 is one of the least powerful Kaby Lake processors that Intel offers.

This lack of power is a virtue though as it allows the mt21 to run near silently. Additionally, the processor is energy efficient, giving the mt21 good battery life and relatively cool surface temperatures even under extreme simulated load.

With the mt21, HP has delivered a quiet and consistent Mobile Thin Client.

An SSD ensures smooth system performance. The SSD could be swapped out, and there is even room for a 2.5-inch drive if required. Better still, both drive bays are accessible by a maintenance cover, rather than having to remove the bottom case as is the case with other devices. The mt21 has a good keyboard suitable for regular paperwork, although there is no keyboard backlight.

The matte 14-inch display will inspire no one. HP has used a dark, low-contrast TN panel with poor viewing angles. At this price point, we would have expected a brighter, higher-contrast IPS panel instead.

HP mt21 - 04/04/2018 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
73 / 98 → 75%
Keyboard
71%
Pointing Device
96%
Connectivity
54 / 80 → 67%
Weight
67 / 20-67 → 100%
Battery
91%
Display
76%
Games Performance
51 / 68 → 76%
Application Performance
64 / 92 → 70%
Temperature
95%
Noise
94%
Audio
64%
Average
75%
81%
Office - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > HP mt21 (Celeron 3865U, SSD, HD) Mobile Thin Client Review
Sascha Mölck, 2018-04-12 (Update: 2020-05-19)